As it turned out, Duncan played in the next game. He convinced coach Gregg Popovich that he was healthy enough to return. But Popovich didn’t think Duncan played like he was fully healthy, and held the former MVP out of the next two games.

Based on that, making sure Duncan is fully recovered and healthy for the end of the regular season and the playoffs is likely to be a much higher priority in the next few days that whether he plays against the Knicks on Monday or the Pacers on Wednesday.

A glimmer of hope from the game was the continued emergence of Nazr Mohammed. The former Knicks center recorded 13 points and eight rebounds in 21 minutes off the bench. For the second straight game, he showed a knack for making a pass in close quarters when he hit Beno Udrih cutting through the lane for a layup.